


The Serpent and the Badger

by puppycatkittymuffin



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-12
Updated: 2017-01-04
Packaged: 2018-09-08 02:15:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8826439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/puppycatkittymuffin/pseuds/puppycatkittymuffin
Summary: A little girl who dreams about a world of magic. Who is a Disney fanatic but wants the real thing, y'know? Well dreams do come true, and you don't have to be a Princess either. When she meets famous and legendary Harry Potter of the Wizarding World, her entire life changes, and in her opinion, for a better. Who would've thought that one meeting could lead to the world she's always dreamed of?





	1. Chapter One: The Best of Terrible Days

**Author's Note:**

> \- I do not know what will happen to the Other Potter and Supernatural Fury, but this has been bouncing around my head for quite a while  
> \- I am open to comments of criticism if there are any, and comments in general because I would like to know if my stories suck or not  
> \- How can one little badger make such a difference in the world? With great difficulty, and a lot of magic.

Chapter One  
The Best of Terrible Days

 

  
        Not for the first time, a little girl, age eleven, had a dream that held things that would and could never be, as almost all dreams tend to do. The little girl, mind you, had quite the imagination, even for someone her age, it held no boundaries and only the impossible was possible. Five impossible things before breakfast, as she would always say without hesitation or fear.  
The little girl, Ethel Montgomery, was not your average eleven year old girl. Sure, she had quite the imagination, but hers expanded beyond the borders of reality. Animals could talk and wear clothes, owls actually delivered messages, and most of all, Magic was real. That was the best part of Ethel Montgomery's imagination, there was always Magic, and even if it didn't quite fit in, it was still there.  
        She was a girl who would tell you that Magic was very well real and she prided herself only on her stubbornness and expansive, out-of-the-box imagination. She was one of those people who would wear two completely mismatched socks and even shoes, with colors of a rather atrocious coloring that didn't all match. She found things like that, the oddest and most out of ordinary things, most wonderful.  
Her mum, Mrs. Montgomery who had quite a different perspective, thought otherwise. Unlike Mr. Montgomery, who also found uniqueness in oddities. Where this story begins is in the Montgomery family car, a rather small and cramped Ford Anglia, just a bit older, rusted only a little with dirt and grime on the tires.  
        There were a few boxes that were labeled, Elizabeth's Things, David's Things, Ethel's Things, and of course many other boxes labeled with the word Things after it. In the backseat with Ethel, hair in piggy tails, each one held by a differently colored bow, on each side of the car were the cages her 'Familiars' were kept in. Mrs. Montgomery didn't like the idea of either of them being outside of their cages while inside the car.  
        On Ethel's left, it was a black and white furred cat with bright yolk-yellow eyes. The cat had a rose colored collar on it that had a silver jingling bell. On Ethel's right was a white furred rabbit that had small, beady black eyes. He would have been labeled albino if he had pinkish eyes. The cat and the rabbit were Panda and March, the rabbit being named after the March Hare from Disney's Alice in Wonderland, and Panda, although looking nothing like a panda, was named because of her colors and pandas were Beverly Montgomery's favorite animal. Beverly Montgomery was Ethel's grandmother, Mr. Montgomery's mother, who always smiled whenever her granddaughter was around.  
        Though the cat's full name was Panda Oreo, as the Oreo cookie was a family favorite to three out of four of the Montgomery family. Ethel was proud of her oddness, and would have it no other way.  
Mr. Montgomery, the driver of the Ford Anglia, had the family moved as he had business with Mr. Mason, a wealthy man who needed an order from a company that made drills. So, it was arranged that Mr. Montgomery, Mr. Mason, and Mr. D, something or other, were going to have a dinner party to discuss business matters. Mrs. Montgomery hadn't bee very well happy with the new arrangements, as she loved in back in London and they would now be in Little Whining, Sidney(Ethel hadn't paid much attention to that either), and she was someone who never liked moving to new places.  
        Ethel on the other hand, liked the idea of moving, as London had been a bit to stuffy in her opinion. Though this neighborhood, Picket Drive, looked so dreadfully, ordinarily boring. Yet, like always, Ethel Montgomery smiled brightly.  
        It was Number 6, one of Ethel's many favorite numbers. Though wasn't an odd number, as all numbers were her favorite. While Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery got out of the car, carrying the boxes inside, she stared at the houses along the street. They pretty much looked the same, except Number 4 had a slight difference to it. Bars on one of the upstairs windows. "Is that legal?" she whispered to March, who she had finally taken out of his cage and held him in her arms. As expected, the rabbit said nothing and only wiggled his nose and flicked his ears.  
        From the same house came a large, and Ethel daresay obese, man with a thick, bushy mustache and barely any neck. Behind him was a woman with even less neck, and a bit of a sneer on her face hidden behind a fake smile. D was for Dursley, Ethel came to understand during the bone-crushing handshakes.  
        They had a son, only a year older than Ethel, named Dudley, who was almost as large as his father with hair on his head. Mrs. Montgomery seemed to make friends with Mrs. Dursley, so that was something, and all Mr. Dursley wanted to talk about with Mr. Montgomery was about the business. "The best drills our company makes, that's all I have to say," Mr. Dursley said proudly with a mad gleam in his eyes.  
        During both the conversations Ethel was completely silent, tracing her finger over March's ears and running over his nose. Dudley didn't really seem like a conversationalist, but Ethel only got that thought because he was simply standing next to his mother, a sweet treat in his hand and another in the other. Without anything to do, she stared at the Dursley's house. Number 4 Privet Drive, with the bars on the windows. She saw nothing at first, but once she blinked she swore she saw a face staring back at her. Blinking again, she was right. There was a face, that of a boy with bushy, thick, and definitely unkempt hair. She couldn't tell for sure, but she was positive he had glasses. He looked like a lonely prisoner behind those bars.  
        She could have been thinking, though she doubted herself that she was, and she certainly couldn't help an instinct of politeness, but she waved at the window. Almost shyly, one of his hands came up and lightly waved back.  
       It was afterwards, all of the boxes were in the house, unpacked but still there, that the family disbanded. Mr. Montgomery went off for some business deal, other than Mr. Dursley and Mr. Mason, and Petunia Dursley(Ethel realized petunias weren't the prettiest of flowers) and her mum went to do something after Mrs. Dursely had finished 'tidying up' their house. Ethel really didn't care, the boy from earlier was sitting outside by himself on a garden bench. She let March and Panda inside the house to explore, now it was her turn.  
        Walking over there, a spring in her step, she heard him singing to himself. "Happy birthday to me... happy birthday to me..." Harry hadn't paid much attention to the new arrivals, except for when the girl with piggy tails held up by a pink bow and a blue bow(the pink holding up the left piggy tail and the blue holding up the right), had waved at him and sent a smile his way. He looked at the hedge miserably, he would be spending the evening pretending he didn't exist.  
        "Hello," Ethel said, which made the boy, who definitely had glasses, jump. Harry's heart was hammering in his chest, a hand clutching the spot where rabid thumping was happening. "I said 'hello,'" she said. "Hello," Harry said, heart only slowing down a bit. "What's your name?" she held her hand out to him, a toothy grin on her cheerful face. "Harry," he answered, slowly shaking it. He remembered all of last year, everyone wanting to shake his hand, knowing who he was, but he didn't know who he was.  
       "Ethel," she said and she jumped over the hedge. "So it's your birthday?" she asked, that cheerful grin never leaving her face. "Y-yes," Harry said. Was this how people 'normally' met each other? "Happy Birthday, haven't a gift, so will a chocolate for now work?" she held out a Hershey's bar that seemingly appeared out of nowhere. He tried to decline, but she was like Hermione, persistent and he ended up pocketing the chocolate bar. But the thought of Hermione made his chest ache with loneliness.  
        "Haven't the foggiest who anyone is," she put her hands behind her back and was rocking back and forth on her shoes, the grin never leaving her face. "You're nice," she said brightly. Harry really hadn't a clue what to say. "Mind if I bring someone over for you to meet? He's really friendly," he saw hope in those odd colored eyes. They looked like two rings of gold around a black dot. Like a golden yellow color.  
Harry only nodded and within seconds, the girl was over the hedge again, racing into the house, at the same time that Harry saw two green eyes inside the hedge, and heard a jeering voice float across the lawn. "I know what day it is," Dudley sang, waddling towards him.  
        The eyes had vanished, and now Harry's attention was on his cousin. "Well done," Harry said. "So you've finally learned the days of the week," he said, hoping the girl would come back. Even though he barely knew her, she was a lot better than Dudley was. "Today's your birthday," Dudley sneered and pointed out how he had no presents or cards. "Why're you staring at the hedge? That's where the new girl lives," Dudley said suspiciously. “I’m trying to decide what would be the best spell to set it on fire,” Harry said.  
        A panicked look came across Dudley's face and he tried saying how Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia wouldn't let him do it. “ _Jiggery pokery!_ ” said Harry in a fierce voice. “ _Hocus pocus! Squiggly wiggly!_ ” Dudley howled and ran back to the house, and at the same time, the girl, Ethel, came back. "What was that?" she said, holding a white rabbit and a small box. "My cousin," Harry said instantly, forgetting that this was the girl he was supposed to avoid. But he had a feeling _she_ would be the one to take it up with Uncle Vernon if she wasn't allowed.  
        She titled her head to the side, the piggy tails swaying as she did. "Well, this is March. He's named after the March Hare," she held the white rabbit up in his face. "March Hare?" Harry asked curiously as the pile of fur sniffed his face. "Haven't you ever seen Alice in Wonderland?" she questioned. Harry wasn't sure whether or not to answer, but at least he answered truthfully. "No."  
        He might have thought he'd crushed her world as it looked like a bomb had gone off inside her head. Her mouth hung open and her eyes were wide, and even the rabbit looked stiff. "You haven't lived," she said and that was when Aunt Petunia came out, yelling at Harry who paid dearly for his moment of fun.  
        But when Aunt Petunia noticed Ethel next to him, the rabbit in her arms and the box in one hand, she froze. "Hello, you must be the Montgomery's," it sounded forced and pained, even to Harry's ears. "And you must be Mrs. Dursley, charmed," _only by Harry_. Ethel thought. "Why don't you go inside for a bit?" she gestured to Harry, a glower in her eyes at him that disappeared when they returned to Ethel. "Oh, but I wanted to talk more. I am most curious about the bars on the window," Ethel said and Aunt Petunia seemed to stiffen herself.  
        "Oh, just a safety precaution," she lied through her teeth and gestured rapidly for Harry to go. She went back inside the house after sending him one last glare. "Yeah, that's not a safety precaution. That's a health hazard, are they mad?" she asked as she handed him the box. "What's this?" Harry questioned. "A present, from a new friend, I'd hope," that grin returned.  
       "T-thanks," Harry said. He knew he would pay later, but this girl had just saved him from his aunt and had given him a gift and she barely even knew him. She seemed strange. "I get that look often, you think I'm the odd one don't you?" her grin dimmed a bit, but she was still smiling. Harry found himself unable to say anything. "Well, I don't mind. I hope to be friends, and well, you should come over and watch Alice in Wonderland. I have a Cheshire Cat plush and an entire tea set that matches," she said.  
        "What's a Cheshire Cat?" again, another bomb went off inside her head. "Unbelievable! And people say I'm mad!" and with that, she was over the hedge again. Harry blinked, she was gone as fast as those green eyes were and at that moment, a new friend in the muggle world and his first birthday present ever, he sorely missed her too, and she was just next door.  
        He was made to clean the entire house while Aunt Petunia did the cooking and Dudley lolled around the kitchen. He was yelled at for 'trying to spread his freakishness' and he'd hidden the gift from Ethel in his pocket. It was half past seven when he finally came in, still bitter about the lack of contact from anyone from the Wizarding World.  
        "Eat quickly!" Aunt Petunia shouted and pointed at two slices of bread and a lump of cheese. He washed his hands and ate and was ushered up the stairs, with one last warning from his uncle. And though things turned for a worst, he might have said that it could have been one of the best of the terrible days.


	2. Chapter Two: Magic Is Real

Chapter Two  
Magic Is Real

 

  
        Ethel really hadn't been paying attention throughout the entire dinner, she only said a few polite, good mannered words all the while. She had been forced into a hideous, atrociously colored pink dress. It was pink, that was it. Just pink. It felt like torture to her and she really just wanted to talk to Harry. He seemed so shy and distant, and she couldn't help smile to herself. He thought her odd, well she thought him odd. She hoped he liked his gift. It had taken forever to get, and of course she had another at home.  
        She cringed, internally of course, when Mrs. Dursley gave a false, high-pitched laugh. Suddenly, after minutes of the Dursleys sucking up to her parents and to the Masons, they all could have sworn they heard someone crying, rather loudly. At least that's what Ethel heard.  
        It certainly had quite the effect on the Dursleys, the Mr. and Mrs. looking livid while afraid at the same time. It was definitely a look Ethel had never seen before. Well, that wasn't actually true. Ethel suddenly didn't feel to happy, though she still smiled on the outside. She remembered that day as though it were yesterday. That was the real reason they had moved, aside from Mr. Montgomery's business of course, and Mrs. Montgomery probably felt that she hadn't apologized enough. Brenda Mitchell was her name, and bullying was her game.  
        Out of honesty, Ethel didn't know what had happened, but on that day when Brenda had gone to far, and tried to tear the head off Cheshire(not that she got the chance of course and his head was still connected to his body, Ethel made sure and still did), Ethel snapped. She didn't know what exactly happened, but Brenda and her girly gang had taken off, running, screaming their heads off like banshees, and crying home to their mothers. Though Mrs. Montgomery would never admit it, Ethel knew that her mum was happy that they had moved, despite her disliking for moving.  
        Almost instantly her thoughts were shot down by thudding and banging coming from upstairs. "Dudley must have left his television on again, the little tyke!" Mr. Dursley said and he went upstairs instantly. Ethel raised an eyebrow but said nothing.  
        Then things got even more strange, Merlin wherever he may be bless Harry Potter's soul(Ethel thought), when there was a loud crash from the kitchen. Mrs. Mason screamed in terror and jumped up instantly, as did Mrs. Montgomery. "well, this was definitely an enjoyable dinner," Ethel smiled at Mr. Dursley, who blinked with a confused look directed towards her, the anger gone instantly.  
        But Ethel's most favorite bird, ever, swooped in from the window and passed a letter. Mrs. Mason, who was petrified of all kinds of birds, ran out of the house screaming about lunatics and Mr. Mason was angry. Mrs. Montgomery followed her and Mr. Montgomery had to chase after his wife, leaving Ethel alone with the Dursleys.  
        She was still standing behind Dudley when Harry opened the letter and it started talking, she felt faint and hoped to whatever Heaven there was that this was NOT a dream. It was about how underage wizards were not allowed to use magic outside of school. It used the 'M' word. Ethel thought and felt giddy as a giggly schoolgirl.  
        “You didn’t tell us you weren’t allowed to use magic outside school,” Mr. Dursley said, a mad gleam dancing in his eyes. “Forgot to mention it. . . . Slipped your mind, I daresay. . . .” He was bearing down on Harry like a vulture. “Well, I’ve got news for you, boy. . . . I’m locking you up. . . . You’re never going back to that school . . . never . . . and if you try and magic yourself out they’ll expel you!”  
        Harry dropped the letter and Aunt Petunia grabbed Uncle Vernon's arm before he could make a grab for his neck. "Vernon," she whispered, white in the face. "She's still here," she made a rather obvious display of pointing at the girl with a glazed and obviously dazed and content look on her face. "I knew it was real. Brenda Mitchell called me a looney, but I knew it was real," she said, the grin back on her face. "I knew it," she kept repeating as Aunt Petunia tried to, and failed to, usher her out the door.  
        Instantly, like a charging bull, she ran up to Harry and wrapped her arms around his neck tightly, bear hugging him and nearly suffocating him. "I knew it was real," she whispered in his ear. "I want to know everything," she said just before Aunt Petunia pulled her off and slammed the door shut, locking it right after.  
        Right after Uncle Vernon locked him into the room, swearing that he would never go back to Hogwarts. Three days later, the Dursleys still showed no signs of relenting and he'd heard Aunt Petunia screaming at someone, and he had an idea of who, that he wasn't there.  
        It was dark out, and Harry was sitting on his bed, pondering whether or not someone would come looking for him. Would his friends? Dumbledore? He saw a little gray box on the floor and remembered he'd never opened it. He pulled the top off and saw a little card inside it. He opened the card and read it silently.  
        " _I know we haven't properly met, but I hope our friendship is forever set. Happy birthday Harry, and on your lovely owl's wings our hearts she will carry. Happy Birthday to you_ ," that aching pain of loneliness washed over him again. She'd seen Hedwig too and didn't find him strange either. Then again, she was strange as strange really came.  
        He eventually fell into an uneasy sleep. He dreamed he was in a zoo, with people staring at him. He saw Dobby's face, and Dobby refused to help him, saying that he was safe in there. "Stop it," Harry muttered as the rattling sound pounded in his head.  
        That was when he opened his eyes, stared out the window, and realized that someone else was rattling the bars. Someone with ginger hair and a concerned look. That someone was Ron Weasley, outside Harry's window.  
~With Ethel~  
        She did not sleep that night, then when there was a loud crashing noise, from that house, she dashed outside, holding March in her hands while wearing pale pink pajamas with the Cheshire cat on them, and she felt like her jaw could have dropped to the ground. A flying car, another Ford Anglia even. Why didn't their Ford Anglia fly? Oh, right, Harry was the real wizard. She grinned brightly and her eyes kept watching as Harry put his stuff into the flying car.  
        Ethel counted a total of three ginger boys, two of which were twins, and they grabbed the beautiful snowy owl she saw from three days ago. "If there was any moment to start singing Part of Your World, this would be it," she said to March who twitched his ear in response.  
        Though she jumped when Mr. Dursley made a grab for Harry's ankle. "SEE YOU NEXT SUMMER!" Harry shouted and she couldn't help but chuckle herself. "They called me a loony but it's true," Ethel said with a wistful smile. "Magic is real."


	3. Chapter Three: Magic, School, Birds, Oh My!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> \- Ethel meets a teacher from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- I'm not sure if it was rushed or not, but this was kind of expected wasn't it? Did I do an okay job with Ethel meeting the Professor, I wonder?  
> \- Good or bad, open to comments  
> \- We all knew this was going to happen

Chapter Three  
Magic, School, Birds, Oh My!

 

  
        Things could definitely be better at this point. Mrs. Dursley and Mrs. Montgomery had made good friends, in an odd sort of way, as they were always having tea. But ever since Harry had left, Mrs. Dursley managed to convince Mrs. Montgomery that nothing odd would be happening again. Mrs. Montgomery seemed pleased with that, as she had rather frightening moments(she too had a traumatic past with birds, so obviously the owl scared her out of her wits), but Ethel was bored and missed him. Not until next summer? There was a school for magic, and she wouldn't get to go. Assuming Harry actually did come back, she wouldn't know a thing about it and she'd finally discovered the truth. She was quite happy that magic was real, oh, she was overjoyed actually, but it stung because now she had no evidence to prove it. They hadn't even had a cup of tea while watching _Alice in Wonderland_!  
        Ethel did not like the idea of secrecy, but she supposed it made sense. After all, with the way the Dursleys treated him, and the reactions from her mum and Mrs. Mason, it made sense that Magical folk hid themselves. Though it did seem rather unfair to her. Yet she never stopped smiling, as that thought of magic being real was always on her mind. She wondered if she could ask Harry if he knew an adult magical person who could make it to where March and Panda could talk, so she would always know if they were hungry, thirsty, or just have conversation over tea.  
        Harry hadn't even been gone a week and Ethel was so bored. Two days, that was it, and she felt ready to rip her piggy tails out. Today was a lonely day, Panda had gone exploring in the backyard, March was sleeping in his rabbit's pen, and Ethel was by herself. Mr. Montgomery was gone at work and Mrs. Montgomery was with Mrs. Dursley and Dudley Dursley. It wasn't abnormal that they left Ethel home alone, as they had no fear that she would burn the house down, and she did not talk to strangers.  
        As of right now, she was drawing the flying Ford Anglia(she was still wishing she could find a way to make their car fly) and it looked like an exact replica, almost. She even had the three ginger heads, Harry, and the snowy owl. What she wouldn't give for the picture to start moving at this point of time.  
        Suddenly, out of the blue, there was a knocking at the door. Ethel did not scowl, but she certainly felt like doing it. But it would be rude, after all, what if it was something important, like for Mr. Montgomery's business.  
        With one last longing look at the drawing of the flying car, she walked down the stairs, ready to either slam the door in the person's face or tell Mr. Montgomery that someone had been there for him. She still smiled nonetheless, a soft smile, but it was still a smile.  
        There was no peephole, so she just opened the door, hand still on the knob, ready to slam and lock it. She blinked, once, twice, thrice, and saw a much older woman standing in front of her. She had sharp eyes, a stern look that seemed permanently etched onto her face, with black, slightly graying, hair that was tied into an extremely tight looking bun. "Hello," was all Ethel said.  
        All the woman did was raise an eyebrow. "Are you here to speak to mum or dad?" Ethel questioned. "Well, are they currently home?" the woman asked with a voice as stern as her eyes. "No, mums out for tea and dad's working," Ethel answered. "I'd let you in, but that'd be dumb of me. I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," the woman blinked. "You are Ethel Montgomery, correct?" the woman asked.  
        "Well that depends, who are you?" Ethel grinned as the woman looked slightly amused and annoyed at the same time. Only slightly, and it disappeared just as quickly as it appeared. "My name is Minerva McGonagall, and you are Ethel Montgomery?" she repeated the question. "Yes, but mum and dad are not home and I am not about to let a stranger in the house, apologies," Ethel said, but she still did not shut the door.  
        The woman, Minerva(Ethel swore she heard that name before, something about Romans), shook her head. "Unbelievable, your parents leave you home alone? You're eleven!" Minerva McGonagall said. "Well, I'd say the usual line, but I'm more concerned on the fact that you know my age and my name, and I haven't a real clue on who you are," Minerva sighed.  
        "Have you spoken to Harry Potter recently? I know he lives here," her eyes drifted over to Number 4. Ethel blinked. "Harry, he's gone. He left in a flying car," Ethel knew that the woman had to be like Harry. But that was definitely the wrong thing to say, as the woman looked furious and surprised at the same time. Her face hardened and her eyes narrowed. "Did he?" she said through gritted teeth.  
        "Should I stop talking? I don't want him in trouble," Ethel said with hidden concern. "Probably, but I am positive Albus will take care of that. I'd hope," Minerva muttered, annoyed. "So, can you tell me why you're here instead of talking about Harry and a man named Albus?" Ethel asked and Minerva pinched the bridge of her nose with her index finger and her thumb.  
        It was silent, but only for a moment. "Well, have you ever had any odd occurrences? Recently or in the past?" Ethel couldn't help but laugh out loud at that. "People call me odd and mad all the time! I think even Harry thought that when we first met! And that was only two days ago," Ethel was grinning ear to ear. "I mean like accidental and strange moments, where you couldn't explain what happened," the woman said. Ethel did not frown, but her smile dimmed.  
        "Once, there was a loud crashing noise, thought two buses crashed, not at all. It was odd, odder than people say I am. They were screaming their heads off, and that was when the F-bomb started," Ethel shrugged her shoulders and Minerva McGonagall raised an eyebrow. The F-bomb was not at all the word that made Mr. Montgomery and even Beverly Montgomery put money into the Naughty Word Jar. It was the other F word, that Brenda Mitchell favored so much. _Freak_.  
        Minerva said nothing really, and that was when small car pulled up the drive. "Dad's home, it's his lunch break," Ethel explained and Mr. Montgomery and Minerva McGonagall were soon introduced. "You leave an eleven year old girl home alone?" Minerva McGonagall questioned, the sternness back. "Ever read the book _Matilda_?" Ethel retorted. Mr. Montgomery said she was smart as Matilda, and Ethel even had the book in her room on her shelves filled with books on the abnormal and magical.  
        Another person might've thought Ethel odd, and she still did not care. "Well, my name is Minerva McGonagall, a Professor at Hogwarts," Ethel was confused. She worked at a place that had hogs with warts? "Oh, is that a school or a place for..." Mr. Montgomery and Ethel shared a look. They had the same thoughts.  
        "It is a school, a school for young Witches and Wizards to learn how to use and control their magic. Ms. Montgomery here was just telling me about a loud crashing noise and screaming girls," Ethel shrugged again at Mr. Montgomery's look. "They were flung backwards," she muttered, remembering that day well. She'd been angry, Brenda tried to hurt her Cheshire.  
        "Well, it has come to the attention of the school and the Ministry that Ethel will be attending Hogwarts for the next several years," Ethel blinked and looked up. Surely she was dreaming, or she died three years ago and this was Heaven. She didn't know and didn't care, this was... strange. She giggled on the inside, she felt as though she wasn't one to talk.  
        Mr. Montgomery was obviously confused, so Minerva McGonagall explained everything to him. About magical ancestry that had been suppressed at one point of time, and that the Montgomery family(most likely Mr. Montgomery's side of the family) was descended from that, and it had passed onto Ethel. She explained everything about Hogwarts and about magical currency, how it worked at Gringotts bank and rather than muggle money, muggle being the name Wizard folk gave to people of no magic, they had gold that was called galleons, bronze items called Knuts, and silver called Sickles.  
        After about an hour both Mr. Montgomery and Mrs. Montgomery(who arrived halfway through the conversation) were filled in on everything. "How do we know that's true though? You could just be a loony from the madhouse! An escaped loony!" Mrs. Montgomery refrained from shouting. "A loony?" Professor McGonagall(Ethel would have to start calling her that) said in an angered tone. "Prove it," Mrs. Montgomery said.  
        McGonagall pulled a long item from her emerald green robe, which was dark in color and definitely odd looking. It could have been mistaken for a stick, if it hadn't been for the odd word she'd said and the flock of birds that came from he tip. " _Avis_ ," she said, and henceforth the flying birds.  
        Mrs. Montgomery looked unhappy but understood nonetheless. "There is also the secrecy policy. In which muggles without a child with magical abilities must not know about it at all costs. It was most likely a Squib that was the reason your daughter has magic of her own, but muggles of this neighborhood are not to know. And of course, students are not allowed to use magic at all costs until they are the age of seventeen," she stated firmly.  
        "Well, that makes sense," Ethel said, lightly stroking her finger along a bird's head, which cooed happily in response. She'd managed to catch one and had every intention of naming it Cinderella if it stayed. A dopey, doe-eyed grin was on her face once again, appearing just like the one from two nights ago when she'd seen the floating, talking letter, and the flying car.  
        "I've nothing against that, can I bring March and Panda with me?" suddenly her eyes lit up, shining like gold. "Will I get an owl of my own?" she said with hope. "Of course, almost all Wizards have owls," Minerva said, faintly amused. "Ooh, do Unicorns and Dragons exist? Is Merlin real? What about Le Fay? What about a Pegasus? Do you use brooms?" she ranted on and on while Minerva stared at her parents with an odd look.  
        It stayed on her face, even as she asked questions of her own. "Are you sure the two of you are not magical? She seems to know quite a bit, even about Merlin," Minerva said and Ethel squealed in delight. He was real too! "Depends, is everything Disney ever wrote about real?" Mr. Montgomery said, rubbing his forehead with one hand while holding a tea cup with the other.  
        Ethel never really calmed down, and her grin always managed to grow. "Do animals talk?" she asked with seriousness in her voice. "No, they do not," Minerva answered calmly. "Well, do Dragons, Unicorns, and a Pegasus exist?" Ethel hid the disappointment in her voice. "Well, of course they do. I know our gamekeeper Hagrid has been wanting a dragon since he was born," Minerva shook her head irritably. Ethel herself knew how this Hagrid character felt. She loved Dragons, and Unicorns. "What about Goblins? Are they real? Do they have a Goblin King?" Minerva gave her another odd look. "Goblins exist, they run Gringotts bank. I do not believe they have a King," Ethel felt happy that Goblins did exist, but no King? Did they at least have crystals that turned into bubbles? She genuinely hoped so.  
        "This is a list of everything you need for school. You will be able to pick them up at Diagon Alley, where the shops for magical items and books are at," Minerva handed her a letter that Ethel snatched instantly. It had four animals on it. A lion, a eagle, a badger, and a snake. "What does the crest stand for?" Ethel asked, knowing that when she was old enough, magical or not, she'd be getting a mark to remember that forever. Not that she'd let Mrs. Montgomery, Mr. Montgomery, and Grandma Beverly know that.  
        "The four animals stand for the animals of each House at Hogwarts. Four Houses in total, and you will be Sorted into one of them by the Sorting Hat," the Professor explained coolly. Ethel didn't know what a Sorting Hat was, but she had a feeling she'd like it anyway. "The Lion stands for Gryffindor, the Eagle stands for Ravenclaw, the Badger is Hufflepuff, and the Snake is Slytherin," she answered. "What House is Harry in?" Ethel questioned. "Gryffindor."  
        She wondered if the Lion, the Eagle, the Badger, and the Snake were supposed to mean something in specific for each particular House. But she didn't really care which one she would be placed in, though Gryffindor did have Harry. "Oh, and do you have flying monkeys?" Ethel asked and Minerva sighed. It would be a long time before all the questions would be answered, she just knew it. But at the same time, she knew this girl was special in a way that not even she could understand.


	4. Chapter Four: Diagon Alley

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> \- Stuff happens, Ethel and Harry meet again  
> \- Lucius Malfoy finds out that the bird is in fact, the word

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- I loved the comment on chapter one, it made me smile. I'm open to more, and I'm still pondering how I did with this chapter and chapter three. Enjoy Ethel and her 'labyrinthine' personality :)

Chapter Four  
Diagon Alley

 

  
        After another hour Minerva McGonagall had left, and Ethel was rereading her list over and over again and again. There were a lot of books by this Gilderoy Lockhart fellow, so Ethel figured he must be brilliant in what he does. Defense Against the Dark Arts. But why did the Dark Arts need to have an entire class dedicated to defending itself against them? Oh, well. She thought absentmindedly, she figured she would find out eventually and she was giddy at the thought of it.  
        She wondered if Slytherin's snake meant to be cunning like a snake, and Ravenclaw's eagle bold, or if that was how Gryffindor's lion was, and what could it be for a badger? She hoped to ask Harry all about that, and she definitely wanted to meet the gamekeeper Professor McGonagall had mentioned.  
        But Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery were still confused as to the whole ordeal with the Gringotts bank. "Well do they take the pounds and give in return these, galleon things?" Mrs. Montgomery asked once again. "We will figure that out when we get there, their term doesn't even begin until September," Mr. Montgomery said, once again.  
        "How do we get to this Diagon Alley again?" Mrs. Montgomery sighed. "Hey, did you know that if you get rid of the e in alley and put the words together is spells Diagonally?" Ethel asked with a grin. "I wonder if it's shaped diagonally and the roads are that way," Mrs. Montgomery looked faint at those words. "She said she'd come back and act as a guide for it," Mr. Montgomery said.  
        Beverly Montgomery, who had arrived after Mr. Montgomery had called her, stared at them like they were ignorant. "Well, don't you think this is a blessing? Our little Etty is a witch! I guess if you wish on a star hard enough, you do become a real witch," she and Ethel shared a chuckle at that.  
        It had been another five days since Harry had left, a week and now Minerva was back to take only Beverly and Ethel to Diagon Alley. Mr. Montgomery, most unfortunately in his mind and Ethel's mind, had to work and Mrs. Montgomery refused to go. Ethel knew she would have felt out of place there, but Professor McGonagall had said that muggle-borns weren't that uncommon anymore. But it did not matter, Mr. Montgomery had given Beverly near a fortune, not even half a fortune, of pounds just to make sure they could get the galleons, Knuts, and Sickles they needed for Gringotts.  
        "How do they get to this, Hogglewards?" Beverly asked. "Hogwarts, you sound like Jareth and Sarah. Never getting the name right," Ethel giggled. "Platform 9 and three-quarters," Professor McGonagall said as she began tapping her wand on a brick wall in a special pattern. Ethel blinked as the bricks began to shift and move until they created an opening. She saw men and women and children running along and saw many shops of odd shapes, and the road was definitely diagonal, and there was even a shop for brooms.  
        "There's only ten and nine," Beverly looked as confused as Ethel felt. "It's in between, you go through, run into the brick wall on ten and it goes into 9 and three-quarters," Professor McGonagall explained. "well, you have your list. I have to prepare as well for the upcoming term," she nearly walked off, but Ethel grabbed her arm. "What class do you teach?" she asked. "Transfiguration," and with that, she was off.  
Ethel stared at the spot where the Professor had disappeared. "They can move around by magic and they can turn things into different things..." she held back an overjoyed squeal as Beverly led her into a large, golden building with odd designs.  
        They walked in, and there were other people, men, women, and children, and they were talking to odd looking creatures. They were short, stubby legged, with long, hooked noses and beady, black eyes. They also had long nails that could probably be lethal if they wanted, and they were dressed in a bit of a fancier attire. They look nothing like the goblins from Labyrinth. Ethel thought with a smile. Things were not always what they seemed, she merely thought happily.  
        Only one of the goblins was without a person to talk to and slowly the two, Beverly clutching Ethel's hand almost in a deathly, bone-crushing grip, walked up to him. He had the same beady black eyes and was wearing a black suit, his hair, unkempt and ruffled, was black, turning gray on the sides. He seemed to ignore the two. "I'll go speak with the one at the front desk, stay here," Beverly said before walking away.  
        "Hello," Ethel said to the goblin. He blinked, once and then twice. He looked down(he was sitting in a chair, taller than Ethel was) and blinked one more time at the girl with piggy tails that had said one word. "Hello," she repeated. "Hello," his voice was rough and scraggly, he sounded as though he gargled nails every morning. "What's your name?" Ethel asked and he stared at her as though she was mad, a look she was rather understanding and fine with.  
        "Rangok," the Goblin answered. "Pleasure to meet you," Ethel smiled brightly. "Muggle-born or simply mad?" Rangok said as he crossed his arms over his small chest. "Is something wrong with that?" Ethel questioned. "Not here," he said monotonously. "Well, whether or not I'm a muggle-born, or whatever else there is, I can be polite can't I?" he continued to stare at her as though she were mad. "Is working in Gringotts like working as an accountant? Counting money, though accountants usually handle pounds and not gold," Ethel rambled on and on and Rangok was sure she was mad. After all, what pureblood in their right or even wrong mind would be so polite to a Goblin?  
        Although Ethel wanted to know more about the Goblins, and if they did or did not have a King, she was pulled off by Beverly. "Bye!" she waved cheerfully to the Goblin, earning a few stares from the other Goblins. "Turns out, they accepted everything your father left. You've got more galleons than I can count, and that's just in this bag. Apparently there's also even more than this--" she gestured to the leather pouch in her hand, which was nearly overflowing with gold, silver, and bronze. "Inside your vault, they're calling it the Montgomery Vault," Ethel nodded and took the pouch from the outstretched hand. "Thank you," she said politely and Beverly smiled.  
        "Next on the list is your wand," Ethel's eternally cheerful grin returned. Mr. Ollivander's was an odd looking place on the outside, and an odder looking place on the inside. It was filled with nothing but boxes and wands, and it took nearly forever for Ethel's turn to come up. "Ah, hello dear," Mr. Ollivander, who had the strangest, silver, and unblinking eyes Ethel had ever seen, said brightly. "And your name is?" he bestowed his and and she shook it. "Ethel Montgomery," she answered with a smile. "Wand arm?" Ethel blinked and held out her right arm, she assumed it meant dominant hand. She was right.  
        He began measuring her arms, measured around her head, he measured from her foot to her armpit and was muttering to himself. "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magic Ms. Montgomery. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons," he said and soon Ethel's smile was so big she felt as though her face would split. "Dragons and unicorns, and even Phoenixes exist," she said happily to herself. "Indeed," Mr. Ollivander smiled back.  
        "Mm, bit tricky, I wonder," he went behind the boxes and the sound of rummaging could be heard. He came back. "Each one, eleven inches," he said and pulled out a few wands. Oak felt like holding something heavy. Mahogany made her hand hurt, and Willow felt wrong too. "Hawthorn, eleven inches. Unicorn tail hair," Mr. Ollivander said as he handed her a white wand. "Your core is a special one that I managed to procure from the tail of a silver, twin horned Unicorn. Though they are commonly called a Bicorn."  
        Once her hand touched the wand, warmth flooded into her fingertips and all the way up her arm. "It's a pure wand. To have such a core usually means that you are pure of heart," Mr. Ollivander said and Beverly paid him the galleons.  
        Even after she'd gotten fitted for her robes she had still not put the wand down. "What was that one Professor McGonagall cast?" she tried remembering back to that day. Then it struck her. " _Avis_!" she shouted, remembering how the flock of birds had come from the Professor's wand. Feathered, winged bodies shot out of the tip of her wand and fluttered around Diagon Alley. "Brilliant," she said breathlessly.  
"Next it's time for your books, what an odd name... Flourish and Botts," and with that, they were off. But when they walked in, Ethel was nearly blinded by the flash of a camera and they ended up stuck behind a bunch of ginger haired people, a bushy haired brunette girl, and a all to familiar boy with glasses and untidy black hair. "Harry!" she poked him in the shoulder.  
        She had a feeling that every time she talked to him she would make him jump, mostly if he wasn't paying attention that was. "Ethel?" she grinned at that. "Well, at least you remembered my name," she hugged him, earning catcalls and aw's from the ginger family. "I met the most wonderful person, after you of course. Professor McGonagall," one of the ginger boys that she'd seen in the flying car made a gagging sound.  
        "I've got a wand and everything, I'm like you, and you're lucky," she turned to the ginger who had previously gagged. "I wish my car could fly," the ginger boy flushed, as did the ginger man, his father, and the Mrs. Ginger glared at her husband, the twins, and the boy. "Gred and Forge Weasley madam," one of the ginger twins held out his hand, which she shook. "Who did the thing with the car? Oh, it was brilliant! We have a Ford Anglia, but it never flies. It just sputters and grinds," she grinned brightly and the ginger man's face flushed worse, and his wife's glare grew more deadly.  
        Ethel turned to the girl. "Ethel Montgomery," she shook the girl's hand. "Hermione Granger," the girl said politely with a smile. "Percy Weasley," the boy with the golden badge that had a P on it said as he too shook her hand. "Mr. and Mrs. Weasley," the man shook her hand, trying to hide from his wife's glower. "Imagine if she had been a muggle and seen that!" she hissed. "Oh, it's quite alright ma'am, nobody else was awake. Dad could sleep through a tornado and an earthquake at the same time," Ethel grinned brightly. "Nice to meet you dear," Molly smiled(though still quite angry) and shook her hand too.  
        "So Harry," the twins had matching smirks as everyone else turned to Gilderoy Lockhart, who, in Ethel's opinion, had to much white in his teeth and to much of a cocky attitude. "We saw her too," one of them began. "But were unsure what to say," the other said. " _So whose your girlfriend?_ " they said together. Harry flushed. "She's not my girlfriend," he said quickly.  
        They waggled their eyebrows. "But she's a girl," one said. "And she's your friend," said the other. " _So she's your girlfriend_ ," they chortled together. Harry flushed and turned away, but then again, Ethel was asking Hermione about the classes. "What are the teachers like? What's your favorite class?" Ethel bombarded her with questions and Hermione was beaming as she answered each and every one.  
        But then Gilderoy Lockhart noticed Harry. "It can't be Harry Potter?" he shouted and jumped for the chance. The crowd part and whispered excitedly amongst themselves. Lockhart dived for Harry's arm, grabbing it instantly and pulled him up onto the stage. After the pictures Harry tried to go back to the Weasleys, Hermione, and Ethel, but Lockhart pulled him to his side.  
        “Ladies and gentlemen,” he said loudly, waving for quiet. “What an extraordinary moment this is! The perfect moment for me to make a little announcement I’ve been waiting to tell! When young Harry here stepped into Flourish and Blotts today, he only wanted to buy my autobiography, which I shall be happy to present him now, free of charge,” he continued, which made the crowd applaud again. “He had no idea,” Lockhart kept going. “That he would shortly be getting much, much more than my book, _Magical Me_. He and his schoolmates will, in fact, be getting the real magical me. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have great pleasure and pride in announcing that this September, I will be taking up the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!” he said with that bright, blinding, overly white grin.  
        The crowd cheered and Harry was given all of the books for the term, which he put into Ginny's cauldron. "I'll buy my own," he said but a posh, rather arrogant voice interrupted him. "Bet you loved that Potter," Ethel cringed at the sound. Oh, she found herself disliking, majorly disliking, people with that kind of voice. She was so grateful Grandma was looking at the other available books.  
        It belonged to a boy, who could be no older than Harry, Ron, or Hermione. His hair was a very pale blonde and was slicked back, and he had cold, pale blue eyes. Ginny tried to defend Harry, saying how he didn't want all of that. "Potter you've got yourself a girlfriend!" he sneered and Ginny's face turned scarlet in color. "Oh, it's you," Ron said as he and Hermione came up. "Bet you're surprised to see Harry here," Ron said.  
       "Not as surprised as seeing you in a shop, Weasel," Draco retorted. Things turned worse when Mr. Weasley came up and then so did Mr. Malfoy. "Well, well, well, Arthur Weasley," he said coldly. "Lucius," Mr. Weasley said in an even colder tone.  
       "Busy time at the Ministry with all those raids, hope their paying you overtime," he pulled a older, battered book from Ginny's cauldron. "Obviously not, dear me, what's the use of being a disgrace to wizards if you're not able to pay well for it?" he sneered hideously, and Ethel felt a flash of hot anger.  
        "We have a different idea as to what disgraces the name of wizards," Mr. Weasley said, red in the face. "Obviously, with the company you keep," he looked over at the Grangers. "Here I thought the Weasley family could sink no lower," Ethel was furious. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had been the most pleasant people ever. " _Avis_!" she shouted after pointing her wand at Lucius Malfoy's face. A large flock of angry birds began attacking at the two Malfoys, though their target became Draco after Arthur lunged at Lucius and bookshelves began falling over.  
        Books began falling from everywhere as more and more shelves were knocked over, and Draco was trying to swat the persistent birds away. A giant man in a large, brown leather coat ended up pulling Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy apart. Mr. Weasley had a cut lip and Mr. Malfoy a black eye where a book had hit him, and he had many scratches on his face from where the birds' talons had scratches him.  
He thrust Ginny's old Transfiguration book at her. "Here girl, take it. It's the best your father can give you," his eyes landed on Hermione, Ron, Harry, and Ethel. "Count yourself lucky I don't know who cast that spell," he said with malice. "Can't be to hard, or are you really that daft?" Ethel said and the twins snickered.  
        Lucius Malfoy's eyes sparked with malice and rage. "And you are?" he hissed out. "A muggle-born, and proud of it," she said, returning his stare without breaking eye contact. He sneered at her and he was the one to break the eye contact. He and Draco left the bookshop, still quite covered in scratches from the birds.  
        “Yeh should’ve ignored him, Arthur,” Hagrid said. “Rotten ter the core, the whole family, everyone knows that. No Malfoy’s worth listenin’ ter. Bad blood, that’s what it is, come on now. Let’s get outta here.”  
The group left the bookshop and while the Grangers were shaking with fright, and Beverly being confused as to what had happened, Mrs. Weasley was furious. "A fine example to set for your children! Brawling in public! What Gilderoy must've thought!" she ranted on and on, not even hearing Fred say he'd had the photographer take pictures for 'publicity.'  
        "I've known you for not even ten minutes, and already I like you," George said, grinning ear to ear, turning to Ethel. "You're a first-year! You've only just gotten your books! How did you know that spell?" Hermione demanded. "Professor McGonagall did it in front of mum to prove she was magic," Ethel grinned toothily. "It was fun," she shrugged. "Did you see their faces when the birds attacked?" Ron was laughing along with the twins.  
        "Respect," the twins said together, wrapping their arms around Ethel's shoulders. "Encouraging a brawl! Fighting with Lucius Malfoy!" Mrs. Weasley was still ranting. "Birds are definitely my favorite animal," Ethel said. "Why's that?" Ginny questioned. "Because no matter what anyone says, they're the most deadly."  
        After that they said their goodbyes, though they'd forgotten the owl. "I want him or her to be perfect. I can't think of a name yet," Ethel pouted. "I'm sure you will," Beverly said with a smile.  
The Owlery, while smelling just a bit fowl, was a feathery and fun place to be. So many owls, and definitely more than Ethel could count. They were fluttering everywhere and feathers of differently colors and patterns continuously landed on Ethel's head. "I'll talk to the shopkeeper, don't wander far," Beverly said and walked off.  
        Ethel began looking at all the owls of all different shapes and sizes. She knew she already had March and Panda, but she felt like she wanted an owl too. There were spotted owls, tawny owls, snowy owls(though Harry's was definitely the most beautiful), and many other owls. But then, she saw it. The most perfect owl, as though he was in his owl form and was looking back at her with those bright, big amber owl eyes.  
        "Hello," she said to the barn owl in front of her. It hooted softly in response, big baleful yellow eyes staring back at her own golden colored ones. "You're beautiful," the owl's chest puffed up almost pridefully and Ethel grinned. He was perfect. His feathers, along his chest and wings and even his head, were slightly ruffled. He even looked like the exact same owl. "Found something you like?" the shopkeeper said with a grin.  
        "He's perfect," Ethel said as she most carefully and gently lifted the owl up in her hands. "Is that what you want?" Beverly asked. "Yes," she stroked her finger along his beak and he closed his eyes in bliss. Beverly handed the man his galleons. "What's his name?" she asked after they placed him into a cage and bought owl food and treaties. "Jareth."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- By the way, did Fred and George know about April 1st? If they did, poor Molly and Ron, and probably Percy


	5. Chapter Five: The Sorting Hat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> \- Ethel meets some new people and is about to be Sorted

Chapter Five  
The Sorting Hat

 

  
        Although Ethel wanted to use magic to pack, she stuck with the muggle's way of packing. Ethel had everything packed. From her toothbrush and toothpaste(Princess toothpaste of course), to her pajamas and regular clothes, along with her Cheshire and crystal balls(she rather ignored the rude comments, and every night she would look inside to see if she could see Sarah's face, which had yet to happen), and everything else Disney, Labyrinth, and Magic related. Her schoolbooks were in a separate bag from her muggle magical books, and her wand was, well, she'd still refused to put it down. Of course she did not cast spells with it, but she still fiddled with it, waving it up and down, and thinking of how many spells she would learn and how many she would think of using. The spell of birds was certainly one of her favorites, she knew that much.  
        Mr. Montgomery had taken an hour off of work to see Ethel off and of course Beverly Montgomery wanted to see her granddaughter off. Mrs. Montgomery had come as well, but was wearing a hat that covered her face, but it made her stand out even more. "I can't believe they don't have electricity there. How am I supposed to make Harry watch Alice in Wonderland now?" Ethel still couldn't believe there was no electricity. _A History of Magic_ said that it would go haywire if mixed in with the magic. She hadn't packed a single movie or electronic devices, only her toys, clothes, wand, and books.  
        "You'll be good, won't you?" Mrs. Montgomery asked her as she prepared to push the trolley through, which held her bags as well as Jareth, Panda, and March in all of their cages. The three animals had certainly earned her odd stares from the muggle passengers, but she paid them no attention. "Well, I'll use that spell if I have to," only she and Beverly knew what she was on about. "Well, be good and be careful. Write home as much as possible," Mrs. Montgomery said, though she eyed Jareth rather warily.  
        "He's lovable, he's not even broody and moody like David Bowie," Ethel grinned brightly. "Off you go, and tell me what they have over there," Beverly said as Ethel began pushing her trolley towards the brick wall. She really had expected a crash, or something to go wrong, but it really hadn't.  
        She felt a odd wave as she ran through the wall and came out on the other side, where a whole other platform and train were located. Platform 9 and three-quarters was real. Hogwarts was real, this was all real. Ethel felt her heart leap in her chest. "I knew it," she said, grinning as she pushed the trolley towards the train. A helper placed her things where they had to be until they reached the place... Hogwarts... School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. But she kept her wand, a couple books, as well as Jareth, Panda, and March.  
        There were people everywhere and she nearly jumped when a small brown creature, not at all furry or even scaly, but rather bumpy skinned, hopped onto her foot. "Hello," she said, picking him up with a gentle hand. She found her way onto the train, mindful not to bump into anyone, and carefully holding all four animals in her hands and arms. "Are you lost?" she questioned to the little toad as she sat in a compartment by herself.  
        She scratched his head affectionately as he made a croaking sound. She was in a compartment by herself, she hoped to see Harry, Hermione, Ron, or even the twins soon. Suddenly the door opened. Though she expected to see a ginger, a brunette, or Harry, she saw a different girl. One she'd never seen before. "Oh, hello," Ethel said brightly, that same grin on her face.  
        If a voice could be light as a feather, that would be this girl's voice. She had pale blonde hair, paler than that boy's from the bookshop, with wide eyes that made her always seem surprised. "Hello," the girl said lightly. Ethel shook her hand. "I'm Luna Lovegood," the girl said as she gently sat next to Ethel. "Ethel Montgomery," she smiled.  
        The door opened again and this time a boy with plump cheeks, brown hair and eyes, and two large teeth was standing there. "Have either of you seen a toad?" he asked, sounding winded. "I didn't find him, he found my foot," Ethel said, holding out the small toad. "Trevor!" the boy said, taking the toad into his hands. "Thank you!" he said, placing the pet into his robes. "Ethel," Ethel shook his hand. "Neville Longbottom," he replied, pink tinting his cheeks.  
        "Are you first-years?" he asked. "Are you?" Ethel asked. "I'm a second-year," he answered. "What House are you in?" Ethel asked. "Gryffindor, like my dad," he said then flushed terribly red. "What House do you hope to be in?" he asked, sitting next to Luna. "I don't know, to many choices. I've never been good with making choices," Ethel confessed. It was true, not that she'd ever admit that to her grandmother.  
Neville told her that Gryffindor was meant to be bold, brave, daring, and chilvarous. Hufflepuff determined, loyal, and hardworking, and Ravenclaw was quick-minded, witty, and intelligent. "What about Slytherin?" Ethel asked. Neville's face contorted into a glower. "It's full of pompous bullies and gits. You'll know what I mean when you meet Malfoy," he muttered angrily.  
        Ethel's smile dimmed, but she still never frowned. "That can't be true. Slytherin can't be a house of bullies and gits," she said and Neville shook his head. "You don't know the half of it. Are you muggle-born? Are your parents magical?" she shook her head and Luna said nothing, only staring off into space. "Then you'll be a new target this year," Ethel shook her own head. "I don't think so, after all, back at Flourish and Botts I sent a flock of birds at his face," she flushed herself as she said that, the grin returning. "It was funny, I think Harry found it funny," Neville stared at her.  
        "You also know Harry Potter?" he said, awe in his eyes. "Well, yeah. I live right next door to him," Ethel said. Why was Neville looking at her with such admiration and awe with those eyes inside his head? "Are you friends with Harry Potter?" he asked. "I'd like to think we're friends, he's nice. He's the reason I knew about magic before Professor McGonagall showed up at my door," Ethel shrugged nonchalantly.  
He was staring at her with shock. "Don't you know?" he was openly gaping. "What is Harry famous or something?" Ethel raised an eyebrow. "Famous? He's legendary! He defeated You-Know-Who! And as a baby!" Neville said, rather loudly too.  
        Luna breathed out at that moment. "He's famous, so many friends and adorers. I just hope the Nargles don't get inside his head," and with that, she was staring out the window again. Before Ethel could respond with that, and wonder who You-Know-Who was supposed to be, Ginny and Hermione came in, Ginny holding a old, battered book and Hermione a look of concern. "Have any of you seen Ron or Harry? I've looked all over and can't find them," she said. "Haven't seen them," Ethel shrugged.  
        "The Nargles must've gotten to them," Luna muttered from where she sat, a dazed look in her pale eyes. But Hermione ignored her. "I just hope they're safe and they owled Mr. Weasley," Hermione sighed and walked out the door, Neville following behind her and Ginny sat down. "Is that a book for school?" Ethel pointed to the book and Ginny flushed red as her hair. "N-no," she said quickly.  
        "Well what is it?" Ethel questioned. "My diary," Ginny's face was redder than her hair at this point. "Okay, so can you answer a question for me?" Ethel asked. "What?" Ginny's redness dimmed a bit. "Whose You-Know-Who?" she asked and Ginny gaped at her.  
        Ginny shook her head. "He was one of the darkest wizards alive after Grindewald's defeat by Professor Dumbledore himself! He was defeated by Harry! He was the Dark Lord! He had so many followers and Harry defeated him all by himself! And as a baby," Ginny ranted on and on about how Harry had defeated the Dark Lord as a baby, and then again last year when he had used a Professor to try and steal the Sorcerer's stone.  
        Ethel had a hard time believing that one of the most 'dark' wizards alive, especially a powerful Lord like Ginny said he was, could be defeated by a defenseless infant, magical or not. And that was why Harry lived with Petunia and Vernon Dursley, because the Dark Lord took his parents away as a baby. Poor Harry. Ethel thought with a saddened expression in her eyes that didn't reach her lips. To not even remember his parents must be difficult, and the Dursleys didn't seem like the type to tell him about them, and in a good manner.  
        "So why do we call him You-Know-Who?" Ethel asked. "Because we can't say his name! It's bad luck and horrible to say his name!" Ginny said firmly. Ethel wanted to say that he was just another wizard, but then again, after hearing about everything bad he'd done, it didn't seem like a good idea. Plus, how did he defy death if Harry defeated him as a baby? How did he come back, ten years later? That was definitely more strange than anything else. Just... how?  
        Conversation carried on and Ethel bought pumpkin pasties, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Jelly Beans, and everything else. She paid the trolley Witch eleven sickles and five Knuts in total. "Be careful with those Jelly Beans, muggles have peppermint and milk and coconut, but those taste like anything, you've got to watch the color," Ethel refused to eat the green or yellow ones after that warning. Same for the brown ones, dark or light or in between. Ethel ate a red one and was now pretty sure she knew what roses tasted like, and a white one tasted like salt.  
        She also learned what Quidditch was, about how wizards and witches played a game on broomsticks and there were different flying balls, Quaffles and Bludgers, and the Seeker had to get the Golden Snitch to win the game, but the team with the most points by the time the Snitch had been caught would win. There were Beaters, Chasers, the Keeper, and the Seeker. It sounded brilliant and Ethel wanted a broom of her own. Harry had the best model up to date apparently, a Nimbus 2000.  
        It was nearly dark out by the time they arrived and Ethel's breath hitched at the sight of the castle in the distance. It looked partially like the Goblin Hall in Scotland, Yester Castle, but somehow, perhaps even older than the one in Scotland. The lights were on and the moonlight reflecting onto the water cast a delightfully eerie glow. It was one of the most beautiful things Ethel had ever seen.  
        The giant man from Diagon Alley had appeared and was yelling out how no more than four in a boat, and how they would be rowing to the castle on the other side. The lake was called the Black Lake, and Ethel was pretty sure there was something large in there which could have been a squid. She was in a boat with a blonde boy whose name she learned to be Colin Creevey, another muggle-born, who wanted Harry's picture and autograph, along with Luna and Ginny.  
        After what felt like a blissful hour, the ride came to an end and they were at the castle doors. The giant man, Hagrid, pounded his fist on the door and Professor McGonagall, whose face made Ethel smile even brighter, stood there in her emerald green robes. "The firs' years, Professor," Hagrid said.  
        "Thank you, Hagrid. I will take it from here," Professor McGonagall said and she beckoned for the many eleven year old children to follow. Ethel was one of the first to see what the castle looked like on the inside, and was breathless at the sight. The walls were lit with bright, blazing torches, just like Gringotts, and Professor McGonagall led them up a brilliant marble staircase. Ethel could hear hundreds of voices from a door on her right, bt Professor McGonagall led them into a small, empty room. They crowded in, standing rather close together.  
        "Welcome to Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall said. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your Houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your House will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your House, sleep in your House dormitory, and spend free time in your House common room," she calmly explained.  
        "The four Houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your House points, while any breaking of the school rules will lose House points. At the end of the year, the House with the most points is awarded the House cup, a great honor for your House. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours," she continued.  
        "The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school," and with that she left. "How exactly do they Sort us into Houses?" Colin asked. "She said something about the Sorting Hat," Ethel answered and Ginny nodded.  
        But before anything else could be said, nearly everyone around her screamed. Silvery white, transparent, and cloud colored people were flying over their heads. "New students!" one of the people said, who was dressed in very older looking clothing. Almost as though he were from the 1900's or the 1800's. "About to be Sorted?" he questioned and the students nodded, silently. "Hope to see you in Gryffindor, where the brave dwell at heart," and with that, the people flew off through the wall.  
        "Ghosts..." Ethel said, remembering fond films. "Hogwarts has ghosts," she wondered if _Casper_ was real, or if that was just part of the imagination. But Professor McGonagall had returned before Ethel could ask for a ghost to come back and she led them through large double doors and into the Great Hall.  
        In all reality, and in her imagination, Ethel had never seen such a wondrous and mysterious place in all of her life. Thousands and thousands and thousands of lit candles were hovering over everyone's heads, there were four long tables where many other students, Hermione, Neville, Percy, and the twins all at the table with the red and gold banner, were sitting. Ethel looked up and saw a dark sky over her head, glittering and twinkling with stars. "Ron says it's bewitched to look like outside," Ginny whispered to Ethel and Colin, who mutely nodded.  
        Soon their attention was on Professor McGonagall who had brought out a stool and an old, patchy, frayed looking piece of fabric. Suddenly, it began singing.  
" _ **Might think me to be scraggly and old,**_  
 _ **But I could tell you stories of the untold.**_  
 _ **Now it's time to create history,**_  
 _ **in this School of Magic and Mystery.**_  
 _ **Time to find where you belong and write your own story,**_  
 _ **Perhaps you will belong in Slytherin in search of glory,**_  
 _ **Cunning and power-hungry as the snake**_  
 _ **Where goals are achieved despite any stake.**_  
 _ **Perhaps you will belong in Gryffindor to dwell bravery at heart,**_  
 _ **And from the Lion's pride you will never part.**_  
 _ **Perhaps you will belong in Ravenclaw to be learned,**_  
 _ **Where intelligence and wit needn't be earned.**_  
 _ **Or perhaps you will belong in Hufflepuff as the loyal and just,**_  
 _ **Where the hardworking and determined are worthy of trust.**_  
 _ **So place me on your head to find your place,**_  
 _ **And someday you'll leave your mark and not just a trace!**_ "  
        The entire Great Hall burst into applause after the Hat finished its song. Professor McGonagall stepped forward with a long parchment in her hand and picked up the Hat with the other. "When I call your name, you will come up and sit on the stool to be Sorted into your Hogwarts House," she said and began reading off names.  
        Out of almost hundreds of names, Ethel only heard three. Four if you counted herself. "Creevey, Colin!" and once Colin sat down onto the stool, the Hat shouted out his House. "GRYFFINDOR!" and the table burst into applause. "Lovegood, Luna!" Professor McGonagall shouted out. She took only a few moments before the Hat shouted out, "RAVENCLAW!" and the table cheered for her.  
        "Montgomery, Ethel!" the Professor called for her. Ethel sat down on the stool and felt the hat be placed on her head. "I don't like the thought of my mind being read," she muttered and the Hat chuckled. "I wouldn't either," it said as it began searching. "Mm, rather odd," Ethel grinned and stuck her tongue out. "Brave as a Gryffindor, but you could be cunning as a Slytherin..." it trailed off. "Smart and witty like a Ravenclaw, certainly determined as a Hufflepuff," it chuckled, as though it knew something she did not know. "I can't quite find where to place you," it said quietly.  
        Ethel didn't know what to say. She never thought about what would happen if the Hat didn't Sort her. Harry, Neville, Hermione, Ron, Fred, George, Ginny, and Colin were all Gryffindors, but Luna was a Ravenclaw. But Ethel didn't really feel that smart or witty. If given a test, the only test she would get 100% on would be a Disney film test.  
        "Perhaps you could belong in Slytherin, where they would help you find your place," the Hat suggested but when Ethel got one look at Draco Malfoy glaring at her from where he sat, she cringed(internally) and didn't want to be in Slytherin. If the girls were anything like he was, they would be worse, and she didn't want to be stuck in a House like that for several years. "Well, if not Slytherin, and not Ravenclaw. Then how about..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Can anyone guess which House Ethel will be Sorted into? Kudos to you if you do!


	6. Chapter Six: Flying Cars, New Friends, and Classes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Ethel stands up to old Cranky Snake, penny for the thoughts on the House?  
> \- I know a girl, and her older sister. They say Cedric Diggory deserved to die and that all Hufflepuffs deserved to die. I call that rubbish. She also says 'Death to All Hufflepuffs' even stated that openly in class one day for my English paper on Harry Potter trends. I am not kidding  
> \- I have no idea who was in Hufflepuff for the first-year when Harry was in second, because Justin was a second-year and was Ernie a first-year or a second-year? I'm not sure, so I made three up

Chapter Six  
Flying Cars, New Friends, and Classes

 

  
        "HUFFLEPUFF!" the Hat shouted at the top of its lungs(though it had none) and the table began cheering wildly. Ethel blinked as the Hat was pulled off her head. Professor McGonagall had the faintest trace of a smile on her thin, yet pinched lips, but at the same disappointment seemed to shine in her eyes.  
        Nonetheless, Ethel walked over to the table and sat in between two boys, one much taller than her with brownish hair and gray eyes and the other had curly hair and brighter eyes. "Justin Finch-Fletchley," said the curly-haired boy as they shook hands. Ethel wanted to say her name, but Professor McGonagall had done that for her. "Cedric Diggory," said the other with a bright smile.  
        Then she was introduced to Hannah Abbot, Susan Bones, and Ernie Macmillan. Three more Hufflepuffs. So many new friends. Ethel was grinning brighter than anyone else. It was like a paradise, and soon enough everyone was Sorted into a House and then the feast was like eating something Gordon Ramsey made. "Cedric here is a fifth year, he's also Hufflepuff Seeker," Justin said through a mouthful of potatoes. Ethel nodded, and though she only knew little about Quidditch, she would love to see what it was really like.  
        "So, which class do you like best?" she asked and received a variety of answers. Cedric's was Charms, and the others were all Herbology. "And have you seen the new teacher? He's brilliant!" Hannah, Justin, Susan gushed over Professor Lockhart with his twinkly grin.  
        Cedric, Ernie, and even Ethel all rolled their eyes. "I saw that load of rubbish in Flourish and Botts," she told Cedric after chewing her bit of roast. "He thinks he's something, and he's all over Harry... speaking of which... Where is Harry?" her eyes drifted over to the Gryffindor table, which still lacked Ron and Harry in the seats.  
        The others just shrugged. "Well... have any of you ever seen _Alice in Wonderland_?" Ethel asked and only Justin had seen it. "Is that a muggle film?" Cedric inquired. "If you're asking if it was made by a non-magical person, then yeah. Unless of course Walt Disney was a Squib who had knowledge of the magical world," Ethel grinned cheekily at his raised eyebrow. "Well, have you seen any muggle movies?" Ethel added on.  
        "No, usually its books or Quidditch. Not even father has seen a muggle film. I've always wanted to go to the cinema, but it just wasn't possible. I don't think many pureblood Wizards or Witches do," Cedric confessed and Ethel tilted her head curiously to the side. "Pureblood?" she and Justin said at the same time.  
        "You know, blood. Some people, like the Malfoys for instance, think that purebloods, Wizards and Witches with no history of muggle blood, are above half-bloods, who come from Wizards or Witches that 'associated' with a muggle, and above muggle-borns. They even have a derogatory name for them," he explained. "Must everyone everywhere be so racist?" Ethel felt a headache coming on. That explained why Draco and Lucius Malfoy were actual pompous gits, just like Neville had said.  
        The Hufflepuffs were not at all like that, and neither was Ron or his family, and certainly not Luna. As far as she knew, she and Justin were muggle-born. She didn't want to be rude and just go around asking. She was what magical folk called a muggle-born, and she was certainly proud of it.  
        Later on she and the other Hufflepuffs were led down to the dungeons, along with the Slytherins, where the Hufflepuff and Slytherin dormitories were at while the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw dormitories were up in the towers. It was cold and slightly damp and it was rank, but still nice. Though some of the portraits were odd and slightly disturbing, but she kept smiling as she walked in between Justin and Cedric. She shared a dormitory with three other girls, Wendy Potts, a girl with a thick, pudgy, face and bright eyes behind a pair of round glasses, Anna Jones, a short girl with a thin face and very blue eyes, and Violet Warren, a girl with dark skin and soft brown eyes. "Mum was so surprised when she found out, imagine dad's surprise too!" Anna said, explaining how Professor McGonagall showed up at their doorstep. "Well, mum's a witch. She was always doing weird stuff whenever dad wasn't around or looking," Violet said, pulling out a small cat with thick, fluffy fur. "This is Ava," she said, stroking the cat's ears, making it purr.  
"My mum bought me a little hoot, he's down in the school's owl areas," Wendy said, eyeing the cat as though it were dangerous. "Mum don't like cats, says they make her swell and sneeze. Her eyes get watery too," she explained but Violet shrugged.  
        Ethel was smiling throughout the entire conversation. "I have March and Panda, though her full name is Panda Oreo," she introduced the black and white cat and the white rabbit. "Why Panda Oreo?" Anna asked as she fed March a carrot stick. "Because my gran's favorite animals are pandas and we all like Oreo cookies," Ethel said, grinning. "And March?" Wendy added. "Oh, after the March Hare. Have any of you ever seen _Alice in Wonderland_?" Ethel asked, hope blossoming in her chest. Only two hands came up; Anna's and Violet's. "Dad never let me watch muggle films," Wendy confessed.  
        Yet Ethel was still smiling as she nodded quietly. Afterwards she'd put on her mice and birds pajamas(from _Cinderella_ ) and was asleep within minutes. She dreamed of flying cars with snowy owls and barn owls, crystal spheres that turned into bubbles that held dreams inside of them. She also had an odd dream about a boy, much older and taller than her, who was inside one of those crystal bubbles. He was dancing with a girl in a silver dress who wore a locket with a green jewel in it. It was one of the most wonderful dreams she'd ever had.  
        It was the next day that Ethel realized something was actually wrong. As now there was a spreading rumor about Harry and Ron, and apparently it wasn't actually a rumor. She sat next to Justin and stared at the back of Harry's head throughout all of her breakfast. "Why didn't they think of sending and owl? Why didn't they wait for Mr. and Mrs. Weasley? How daft are they?" she rolled her eyes and Ernie shrugged. "Not the first time Potter's gotten into trouble. Hear about that business last year with the Sorcerer's stone?" he asked and Ethel nodded. "Potter seems to like getting into trouble, as it gets him more attention," Ernie continued but Ethel shook her head that time. "You can think that, but I don't think I do," she said and finished her plate of eggs, bacon, and pancakes. But Ron got a red letter.  
        "Weasley's got himself a Howler!" one of the other Gryffindors said. "What's a Howler?" she asked quietly. "Something bad, this should be good," Ernie said and all eyes were on Ron at this moment. "RONALD WEASLEY!" Mrs. Weasley's loud, shrill, and horrifying voice exploded from the red envelope.  
        " _ **HOW DARE YOU STEAL THAT CAR? I AM ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED! YOUR FATHER'S FACING AND INQUIRY AT WORK AND IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT! IF YOU SO MUCH AS PUT ONE TOE OUT OF LINE WE WILL BRING YOU STRAIGHT HOME!**_ " and she congratulated Ginny on making Gryffindor and the letter burst into flames.  
        Ethel was grinning herself, but not out of making fun of Ron. Letters that could explode with voices. She'd give Mr. Montgomery a scare one of these days, she was certain she could and she knew very well that she would.  
        But before she could ponder the depths of magic any further, a squat little witch with a patched hat over her flyaway hair. Professor Sprout, the Herbology teacher. She handed the Hufflepuffs their schedules and Ethel saw that they had Herbology with the Gryffindors first. She left the castle, following Justin like duckling until they reached the greenhouses. But the other teacher, the Defense Teacher, Professor Lockhart, was trying to instruct Professor Sprout the proper way to nurse a Whomping Willow.  
        In the distance she saw a large tree with many of its branches in slings and stared at Harry and Ron. But then she wandered over to Hermione and Ron after the Professor pulled Harry away. "I've been reading up ever since Diagon Alley, the worst part is that electricity and magic don't work together," Ethel said, and while Hermione nodded, Ron looked confused. "And your... Electric stuff doesn't work because?" he asked and Hermione glared at him. "Didn't your read Hogwarts, A History?" Ethel asked and Hermione rolled her eyes.  
        "They don't read, they just expect me to give them the answers," she said curtly. "Well, you already know the answers. So isn't that easier?" Ron asked and the glare from Hermione silenced him and he poked at the soil awkwardly. "Shame though, had the makings of a Gryffindor, I guess," Ron said.  
        Before she could comment, Professor Sprout had begun the lesson and Harry had come back looking annoyed and confused. "We'll be repotting Mandrakes today. Now, who can tell me the properties of the Mandrake?" to nobody who was a second-year's surprise, Hermione's hand was up first. But so was Ethel's. "Yes, dear?" Professor Sprout asked Ethel. "Mandrake, also known as Mandragora, is a powerful restorative and is used for people who have been transfigured or cursed back to their original state," she said, sounding like Hermione(as though she had swallowed a textbook) and Professor Sprout was beaming. "Excellent, ten points to Hufflepuff!" she said proudly.  
        "The Mandrake forms an essential part of most antidotes. It is also very dangerous, who can tell me why?" Hermione's hand nearly hit Harry's glasses as it rose before Ethel's did. "The cry of a Mandrake is fatal to anyone who hears it," she said promptly. "Ten points to Gryffindor," Professor Sprout said.  
        She ordered them to grab a pair of earmuffs and everyone was trying to not get a pink and fluffy pair. Though Ethel was the only one who willingly took a pair like that. "Make sure your ears are completely covered," Professor Sprout said. "When it is safe to remove them, I'll give you the thumbs up," she said. "Right, earmuffs on."  
        Ethel snapped hers over her ears just like everyone else. Professor Sprout pulled hard on one of the leaf tufts and instead of roots, it was a small, muddy, and ugly baby looking thing came out, obviously squawking at the top of its lungs. He had pale green, mottled skin. Professor Sprout took another large plant pot and began covering the Mandrake with dirt until only the leaf tufts were visible and gave them the thumbs up.  
        "Our Mandrakes are only seedlings, so their cries won't kill yet. But they will knock you out for several hours. Now, four to a tray. And watch the Venomous Tentacula, it's teething," she said before slapping a dark red spiky plant.  
        Ethel was with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. But Justin came over to and complimented Harry and Hermione, and even Ron who did not smile about the flying car. "That Lockhart's something isn't he?" he said as they began filling their plants with dragon dung compost. He said something about werewolves and a telephone booth, but Ethel dropped down. "You can't be trapped in a telephone booth with a werewolf. They're faster and they have sharper senses. But if he did, then he's certainly got a bit of a madness doesn't he?" she asked and Ron snickered lightly. "I think he's a bit stuffy if you ask me," she said quietly after Justin walked away. "With everything his books say, you'd think he'd have scars. Not thirty-two perfect teeth, not a single scratch on him. Sure, magic could heal it, but still. Doesn't seem likely, does it?" she asked and Hermione was affronted.  
        Ron was somewhat happy that Ethel agreed that Lockhart was a pompous git, and the entire class they were fighting their Mandrakes and Harry had a hard time with a particularly fat one. Ethel, however, was the only one who had no trouble at all. But she did it completely different than anyone else. She tapped her wand to the leaves before pulling the Mandrake out, which screamed of course. She began cooing at it and cuddling it and it actually calmed down and stared at her with beady brown eyes.  
        Harry could see that her lips were moving, but he couldn't tell what she was saying, and she had all eyes on her. Including Professor Sprout's. She stroked the Mandrake lovingly and it hugged her and threw earth at her face, but she grinned brightly as ever. But the Mandrake willingly went into the earth and even helped her place the soil back on its head until it was leaf tufts again.  
        She didn't pull off her earmuffs, but she knew everyone was staring at her. "Another?" she asked Professor Sprout, who was surprised herself. By the end of class, everyone but Ethel was sweaty and aching and had to wash off before heading to their next class. Transfiguration, and Ethel was there too. "Ooh, I like Professor McGonagall. She's the one who taught my the bird spell, and told me I was a witch. Can we turn buttons into caterpillars?" she asked Hermione and the two chatted away about that while Harry and Ron talked about Quidditch.  
        A bit upset that she wouldn't be in Transfiguration with Harry and Hermione, she walked off with Colin. "You've talked to Harry Potter!" he said, brightly grinning and holding a muggle's camera. "Well, yeah. We're friends," Colin went red in the face and grinned. "D'you think you could convince him to get a picture with me? I want to send my dad all the pictures I can get!" Ethel looked confused by this. "Well you know! Harry Potter! Famous boy, the Boy-Who-Lived! The one who vanquished You-Know-Who! Twice!" Colin said and Ethel smiled lightly. "Sure."  
        With Transfiguration, their job was to turn a match into a needle. Everyone else seemed to have trouble with it, and again, Ethel was the only one who managed to do it right. "Five points to Hufflepuff," Professor McGonagall said, giving Ethel a rare smile. But homework had been heavy, and the most interestingly boring class was A History of Magic. Professor Binns was the only ghost teacher, and he droned on about it all. Half of the first-years had fallen asleep, and Ethel was the only one who was writing notes furiously, and the only one who stayed bright and wide awake.  
        But Potions was the most curious. Ethel sat next to a girl with a Slytherin badge. She had light coffee colored skin, dark brown hair, and chocolate colored eyes. "Ethel Montgomery," Ethel said brightly, extending her hand. "Aria di Angelo," she said, shaking the hand. Professor Snape had the same eyes as the gigantic man with a beard, Hagrid. But while Hagrid's were warm, his were cold and almost soulless. It was like looking into a dark tunnel with no way out.  
        He yelled at Gryffindors and complimented Slytherins. He had them all put into pairs, of their own Houses so Ethel was unable to talk to Aria, and it was a simple potion for curing boils. She weighed her dried nettles, crushed snake fangs, and looked at the horned slugs. There was a loud hissing noise and Colin and Ginny had been hurt. "Idiot girl!" he scolded her and Ethel was surprised at this.  
        Professor Snape ranted on about idiotic Gryffindors and how they were all pride and no brains, completely ignoring the boils that were spreading on their arms and hands. "That's two points from Gryffindor, for both of you," he said and Ethel was surprised by the unfairness. Ginny and Colin were taken to the Hospital Wing and Ethel had her hand raised, a determined look on her face. "Yes, Miss Montgomery?" Professor Snape hissed.  
        Ethel's golden yellow eyes met his cold black ones. "I have a question," she said. "Obviously, otherwise you would not have your hand raised," snickers came from the Slytherins, but not Aria. "What part of a simple boil curing potion are you unclear about?" he questioned. "It's not the potion Professor. It's about the fact that there was an unnecessary ingredient mixed into Colin and Ginny's potion. Something you refused to take notice of, as you were to busy yelling at them instead of acting rationally and discovering what the problem was," stunned silence followed.  
        "And I suppose you find, that you know better than a Professor who has been a Potions Master for over twelve years?" Professor Snape said. "No, not at all. I'm merely finding myself thinking that instead of blaming 'idiocy' on a Potions mistake, you would be more considerate of the pain an eleven year old is in. And the fact that an unidentified substance, green in color, stem like in figure, was added to their potion and not by either Colin or Ginny," she said firmly.  
        The glare he sent her could have froze Tartarus over. "Miss Montgomery, unless you would like Hufflepuff to have points removed. I suggest you sit down," he said, calmly on the outside but furious on the inside. "Professor Snape," she began in the same tone. "Unless you would like to have more students dislike Potions, and perhaps make more careless mistakes, I suggest you actually take the time to teach this class instead of yell at us because you're not making an effort yourself?"  
        It was a painful silent moment. Everyone was shocked at how an eleven year old, a Hufflepuff even, would talk back to Professor Snape! It was like reality disappeared. "Sit down," Professor Snape ordered. "Hope your skull isn't as thick as our 'idiotic Gryffindors' then," she said, sitting back down and looking at her cauldron.  
        Word spread after that about how a first-year talked back to Professor Snape, and a Hufflepuff, and people from the three Houses were congratulating her left and right. Ron seemed to think of her as a miracle. The twins from the flying car and bookshop shook her hands and made friends and swore they would only prank her if it was a holiday. Life at Hogwarts was brilliant in her opinion. But she still had unfinished business.  
        She was doing well so far in all of her classes, thanks to the tips from Hermione, which had the brunette beaming proudly and smugly towards Ron and Harry. But Potions, while she did good, she'd like to do better. It was cold in the dungeons outside of the dormitory, and colder in the Potions classroom. She knocked lightly on the door and heard a faint voice with indecipherable words. _Probably 'go away'_. She thought bitterly.  
        Knocking again, the door was nearly ripped open by Professor Snape's hand. "What?" he barked at her, but she did not back down. "Hello, Professor. May I speak with you?" she asked as politely as possible. He glowered at her, his lip curling into a sneer. "Come to apologize?" he asked.  
        Ethel stared right back into his eyes, unfazed. "I will not apologize for standing up for a student who merely needed help and was scolded and most likely scarred for life," she said firmly. Professor Snape said nothing, but walked back into his classroom. But she didn't him slam the door, she walked in and let it shut behind her.  
        He sat at his desk. "For what reason would you be coming to disturb my solitude when I am far more busy with other matters?" he said coldly. "I apologize for the disturbance, Professor," she said smoothly. "But I came to ask for assistance regarding Potions," she said and he seemed to stiffen, though his eyes and face gave nothing away.  
        "I beg your pardon, Montgomery?" he said, teeth gritted. "I am sure an older student, maybe even Hermione Granger, would be willing to help me with Potions. But I would like to learn it from the Professor himself, who, and as quoted, has been a Potions Master for over twelve years. I am asking, in the politest manner I can find, if you would be willing to teach me Potions. Extra studying, while anybody with a pair of eyes or a finger can learn from a simple book, I would rather come to the person who knows it best. You, sir," she said politely.  
        Professor Snape said nothing, only glaring at her still, though it seemed to have actually dimmed a bit. "And for what reason, do you honestly think that I would waste my valuable time and school ingredients to teach you further?" he said. "Well, sir. Not many people really like Potions, but I want to learn it all. I apologize if I came off as rude to you, and I most likely did, but I was simply standing up for what I saw. Another student through a piece of an unneeded and hazardous ingredient was tossed into their cauldron as an act of sabotage. You might not believe me if I said it was a Slytherin or a Ravenclaw, or even a Hufflepuff, so I will only say it was a student. I am simply asking, most politely, if you would be willing to let the past be in the past, and teach Potions father than what is seen in class," she said calmly.  
His glare disappeared, but his eyes were still cold. "And why would I do that? Why would you want a tutor for Potions?" he questioned. "I know you and I got off on a bad foot, and I have apologized for my rudeness. I will not apologize again. I want a tutor for Potions because I am curious of the subject, and while any older student of my House would most likely be willing to teach, I would like to learn from an official Potions Master. And if it is a drain on your 'valuable time' then I can make up for it if you want me to. I can pay for it, I can pay for Potions ingredients. I am asking, Professor, if you would do this? As a favor, and to let the past be in the past," she said, not at all backing down.  
        "You expect me to waste my time, teaching you further Potions, only out of your simple curiosity, for minimal payment? For any reason in particular? After your rudeness?" he sneered at her. "Which I have accounted and apologized for. And as I said, any older student, any other textbook, but they aren't Potions Masters," she said. An odd look came over his features, but she knew it would be better not to say it.  
        "Very well, Saturdays. Seven, do not be late or it is over. I will expect you to be prepared," he said briskly. "Thank you, Professor," she said before skipping off.  
Later on Colin asked Harry for that picture. Ethel was standing there and shaking her head, twirling her finger by her temple. " _Signed photos_? You're giving out _signed photos_ , Potter?" that same arrogant voice said. Malfoy.  
       He was openly shouting now and Colin shouted he was just jealous. "Well, at least he has real friends," Ethel said and everyone oo'ed at that. Malfoy glared at her, his eyes cold as ice. "Nobody as you, filthy little--" "What's going on here?" Professor Lockhart came up. "Potter's giving out signed photos, Professor," Malfoy said, smirking.  
      "Is he?" Lockhart grinned, staring at Harry stupidly. "Oh, only because Malfoy was so keen on getting on, sir. Practically on his knees, just like with you. He's been wanting time to get to know the real Magical You. Never stops talking about it. Bit struck with your lovely Cupid's arrow," Ethel said and Lockhart beamed. "Of course! Of course! You must've known Harry and I are chaps! Well, then, come along then!" he pulled Malfoy off and Crabbe and Goyle followed him.But of course, that didn't happen until he took the picture with Harry and they both signed it. Colin was happy and Harry humiliated. Defense Against the Dark Arts was considerably the worst class Ethel had ever had. Gilderoy Lockhart was more than just pompous, he was big headed and probably had no idea how to actually handle a werewolf other than playing dirty. He released Cornish Pixies, and Hermione and Ethel had to use a Freeze Charm to stop them all.  
      "That was horrible," Ethel said and Harry and Ron nodded. "He just wanted us to have a hands-on experience," Hermione said. "No, he just wanted someone else to take the cover for it. He hadn't a clue what he was doing," Ethel said. "But look at all the things he's done!" Hermione said. "He says he's done," Ron said blankly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Good or bad?  
> \- As for Aria, just another Slytherin whose an example that the entire House is not evil douchebags  
> \- Dreams of Absolution, I am a Sonic fan


End file.
